Ernakulam RTA will permit 3,000 electric and CNG autos by March

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, CNG and electric autos will reduce dependence on diesel autos that cause high levels of noise and air pollution. | Photo Credit: H. VIBHU

Ernakulam Regional Transport Authority’s (RTA) decision to issue new city permits to 2,000 electric autorickshaws and 1,000 CNG/LPG/LNG-powered in Kochi will reduce reliance on diesel autos that create very high levels of noise and air pollution, sources said. Motor Vehicle (MVD) Department said.

Despite efforts by the MVD and other stakeholders to regulate them, such polluting autos continue to congregate in the city in large numbers from suburban towns and other districts as well.

As per the notification issued by the RTA on December 18, applicants for electric and CNG/LPG/LNG-powered autos must ensure that their vehicle is less than seven years old. Also, such auto drivers should wear their nameplates on their uniforms. After the mandatory process, the final list of autos and their bonnet numbers will be published on March 10, 2025, sources said.

A senior MVD official said the city, with its innumerable narrow and bumpy roads, needs reliable, non-polluting electric vehicles. “Unlike their fossil-fuel counterparts with city permit numbers, e-autos with bonnet numbers can operate anywhere in Kerala. On their part, local bodies should set up dedicated auto stands to eliminate illegal auto stands set up by driver unions at congested junctions and narrow stretches of road. It will also prevent the new stands from cropping up, further choking traffic There are complaints of not being allowed to operate from the stand,” the official added.

Local authorities should also prevent unauthorized conversion of seller-parking spaces of commercial buildings as shops to avoid parking of customers’ vehicles on roads and footpaths. The number of electric cars will increase if manufacturers guarantee better warranties and take back old batteries for scientific recycling, he said.

Welcoming the decision to allow 2,000 more electric autos and 1,000 low-emission vehicles, police sources said it would help reduce pollution and the number of private vehicles on city roads. “This is because such autos provide last-mile connectivity from metro and bus stations,” they added.